Most Wanted Businesses in Rapid City – Dining

Dec 5

Elevate Rapid City is speaking with more than 60 out-of-state businesses considering Rapid City as a destination to open or relocate their business. These businesses represent a wide spectrum of industries like manufacturing, technology, construction, and professional services. They would bring higher-paying jobs and create an avenue for college graduates to stay in the area.

As much as these discussions center on infrastructure, taxes, and workforce, they also revolve around quality of life and amenities. The Black Hills are one-of-a-kind. But amenities also mean shopping, dining, and entertainment—opportunities for existing businesses to expand and grow.

More than 2,400 people responded to a recent survey from Elevate Rapid City to understand what kinds of opportunities people wanted most.

Take a look at how the region voted.

Dining

1. Chick-Fil-A

Headquarters: Atlanta, GA
Locations: 2,671 locations in the US as of April 2021
Closest Location to Rapid City: Sioux Falls coming Fall 2021

Chick-Fil-A was the clear winner with more than double the votes of the next closes chain, Cheesecake Factory. To maintain consistent quality service, Chick-Fil-A is incredibly strict with their franchising. The company chooses the location, buys the real estate, constructs the restaurant, and purchases the equipment. Now that a Chick-Fil-A is adding their first standalone restaurant in the state, the opportunity for continued expansion remains strong.

2. Cheesecake Factory

Headquarters: Calabasas Hills, CA
Locations: 298 restaurants throughout the US and Canada
Closest Location to Rapid City: Denver

With more than 250 dishes on their menu, the Cheesecake Factory offers far more than its namesake dessert. There are currently locations in nearby states like Minnesota, Nebraska and Colorado, but do not offer franchising so it will be up to the corporate office to decide to build a South Dakota location – specifically in Rapid City.

3. Red Robin

Headquarters: Greenwood Village, CO
Locations: Over 570 restaurants in operation as of August 2020, 90 operated as franchise
Closest Location to Rapid City: Sioux Falls, SD

Mostly famously known for their burgers, Red Robin’s mission is to make food fresh, fun and memorable. With a location already in South Dakota it would make for an easier distribution as part of the franchise. At this time no public information about opening a location is available.

4. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Headquarters: Newport Beach, CA
Locations: 2,768 as of 2020
Closest Location to Rapid City: Sioux Falls, SD

Chipotle prides itself in serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without added colors, flavors or other additives. Menu items include custom burrito bowls, burritos, tacos and salads. Their website specifies that new locations must be urban/suburban areas with strong residential and daytime population which would be a strong fit for Rapid City.

5. Krispy Kreme

Headquarters: Winston Salem, NC
Locations: 1,005 worldwide
Closest Location to Rapid City: Billings, MT

It’s safe to say Rapid City had a HOLE lot on their mind during this survey as Krispy Kreme is the second donut shop on the list. Initial investment to open the brand can range from $275,000 to $1,911,250 for a Krispy-Kreme store. Applicants must have financial resources to fund multi-unit store development plans including $300,000 in liquid assets. With local donut shops serving so many great treats, Rapid City should continue supporting local.

6. Dunkin’

Headquarters: Canton, MA
Locations: Over 8,500 restaurants in 41 states
Closest Location to Rapid City: Colorado Springs, CO

Despite dropping Donuts from its official name in 2018, Dunkin’ has not dropped them from their menu. Customers also enjoy coffee, bagels, breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods. Despite the large number of stores nationwide, unfortunately South Dakota is not open for franchising at this time. Fortunately for Rapid City there are plenty of great local donut and coffee shops to enjoy!

7. Granite City

Headquarters: Bloomington, MN (acquired by Famous Daves in March 2020)
Locations: 34 locations in 13 states
Closest Location to Rapid City: Sioux Falls, SD

More famously known for craft brews, Granite City also offers made-from-scratch food and Sunday brunch. It’s safe to say the combination of brunch and brews is what kept it in Rapid City’s top 10! They do not currently have information available for new locations, but it’s a toss up of if they would consider Rapid City. Current restaurants are focused in the Midwest with Sioux Falls being the furthest west.

8. Firehouse Subs

Headquarters: Jacksonville, FL
Locations: 1,195 locations across 46 states as well as Puerto Rico and Canada
Closest Location to Rapid City: Sioux Falls and Watertown, SD

People looking for a quick, casual bite to eat with great customer service will love Firehouse Subs. They believe their steamed meats and cheeses with generous portions are a key part of what keep customers coming back. According to their website, Firehouse Subs is carefully calculating their expansion but “there’s a Firehouse coming your way.” With locations already in South Dakota there is a strong likelihood a Firehouse Subs could come to Rapid City.

9. Raising Cane’s

Headquarters: Baton Rouge, LA
Locations: 449 restaurants in 27 states and 23 restaurants in the Middle East
Closest Location to Rapid City: Norfolk, NE

Raising Cane’s is a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers. In fact, they offer a limited menu without new products in order to maintain quality control. Unfortunately, they are not entertaining franchise or development opportunities at this time, so it is unlikely to see a Raising Cane’s in Rapid City soon.

10. Cracker Barrel

Headquarters: Lebanon, TN
Locations: 645 Restaurants in 45 States as of 2021
Closest Location to Rapid City: Bismarck, ND or Sioux Falls, SD

Cracking the top 10 as a write-in was Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Featuring homestyle comfort food, including all day breakfast and a gift shop, their mission is to create a home-away-from-home where they can get a warm, comforting meal. As they look to expand, site criteria include major interstate access, high concentration of national retailers, and a lot size of 2 acres. Rapid City’s high tourism traffic would likely also make it a good fit to open a location here.

Local Opportunities

There were several trends that also came up in the comments of the survey. One of the biggest things Rapid City would like to see more of: brunch options! This would be a great area for local restaurants to look into expanding their menu and hours to offer. There were also several comments made around wanting more outdoor, pet-friendly options. Be sure to email matt.brunner@elevaterapidcity.com if your business is looking to expand and wants to know about the support available from Elevate.

Brad Jurgensen